Side coiling door without a bottom track

ABSTRACT

A side coiling door supported solely by an overhead track during closing movement, and wherein its bottom edge is confined against buckling or other lateral movement only after the door has attained its closed position by edge-engaging means strategically located along the path of movement of the door.

United States Patent Sivin Sept. 4, 1973 SIDE COILING DOOR WITHOUT A BOTTOM TRACK Inventor: Bernard J. Sivin, Commack, NY.

Assignee: The Celotex Corporation, Tampa,

Fla.

Filed: May 12, 1972 Appl. No.: 252,609

US. Cl 160/23, 49/410, 160/196, 16/90 Int. Cl. E06b 9/20 Field of Search 160/23, 25, 31, 275, 160/276; 49/410, 411; 16/90, 91

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l/1966 Cookson 49/411 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,286,746 l/l962 France 16/82 Primary ExaminerDavid J. Williamowsky Assistant Examiner-Conrad L. Berman Attorney-Bauer & Amer [57] ABSTRACT A side coiling door supported solely by an overhead track during closing movement, and wherein its bottom edge is confined against buckling or other lateral movement only after the door has attained its closed position by edge-engaging means strategically located along the path of movement of the door.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures SIDE COILING DOOR WITHOUT A BOTTOM TRACK The present invention relates generally to an improved side coiling door, the improvements more particularly being in the elimination of the bottom guiding track of the door.

To assist in tracking a side coiling door through its transverse opening and closing movements, the door is not only suspended on an overhead track but usually has its bottom edge projected in guiding relation within a track opening in the floor. This prior art bottom track is used despite the tendency for the track to be a deposit for dirt and debris, which interfers with tracking movement of the door, and also despite the fact that it represents a walking hazard to female employees wearing high-heeled shoes.

Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a side coiling door having a sufficiently rigid closed position without a bottom track, the elimination of which bottom track being thereby effective in overcoming the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art. Specifically, it is an object to track a side coiling door only along an overhead support and to engage the door bottom edge subsequently, after it has attained its closed position.

An improved side coiling door demonstrating objects and advantages of the present invention includes slats interconnected by a band having a depending position along the bottom edge of said slats. Cooperation with this depending band are edge-confining structures strategically located along the path of movement of the door, each structure being movable from an out'of-theway storage position beneath the door into a projected position which prevents door buckling or other door movement laterally of its proper closed position.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of a presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiment in accordance with the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an improved side coiling door according to the present invention;

. FIG. 2 is an isolated perspective view of an exemplary means for engaging the door bottom edge as proposed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view illustrating the manner in which the door bottom edge is confined against movement laterally of the prescribed path of movement of the door; and 1 FIG. 4 is a side elevational view projected from FIG. 3 illustrating the rotative traverse from the operative position of said door edge-engaging means into its outof-the-way storage position, and vice versa.

Reference is now made to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1 wherein there is shown an improved side coiling door, generally designated 10, demonstrating objects and advantages of the present invention. As generally understood, door includes a plurality of individual slats l2 appropriately interconnected to each other, said interconnecting structure typically including a metal band 14 having a depending position lengthwise along the bottom of the slats 12. The slats 12 are connected, as by bolts 16 (see FIG. 3), to the band 14.

As is further generally understood, door 10 is appropriately arranged to be in a helically wrapped condition at one end of a door opening 18, the axis of this helical arrangement being vertically oriented, and is appropriately urged through transverse closing movement 20 relative to the door opening 18 and, of course, in a reverse direction for its opening movement. Transverse movements 20, more specifically, are along a prescribed path which, of course, is in the vertical plane of the door opening 18, the upper edge of the door 10 being supported and confined to said prescribed path relative to the door opening 18 by an overhead guide rail construction 22. Thus far, what has been described is generally well known and has not been illustrated in detail in the drawings so as not to obscure the invention.

The improvement of the side coiling door 10 hereof resides in the elimination of a track in the floor 24 which heretofore was considered necessary to assist in tracking the door during its transverse movements 20. This bottom track was provided in the prior art despite the tendency for the track to be a deposit for dirt and debris, which interfered with movement of the door, and also despite the fact that it represented a walking hazard, since it was not an uncommon occurrance for high heels to get caught in said bottom track. An important aspect of the present invention, therefore, is the recognition that the bottom track in the floor 24 can be entirely eliminated without detracting from the functioning or usefulness of the side coiling door 10.

In accordance with the present invention, door 10 is provided with plural, spaced edge-engaging means, individually and collectively designated 26, strategically located in the portion of the floor 24 which bounds the door opening 18 and thus coincides with the prescribed path 20 that is traversed by the door 10 during opening and closing movements thereof. The significance of this is that the depending structure of the door bottom edge, as for example the slat-interconnecting band 14, can thus be conveniently accommodated between upstanding bifurcated legs 28 and 30 of an operative member 32 of each edge-engaging means 26 and, in this manner, the door 10 in its closed position is confined by the strategically located means 26 along its bottom edge against buckling or any movement laterally of the door opening 18. Naturally, the upper track 22 performs this function for the door upper edge.

The specific edge-engaging means that may be used in providing the within trackless side coiling door 10 according to the present invention may take many different forms, the preferred form thereon being the previously noted means 26 which is illustrated in detail in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. This preferred embodiment includes a cylindrical housing 34 which, in practice, is disposed within the floor 24. Cooperating with the pivotal or movable member 32 is a cover plate 38 which serves as a closure for the opening 36, plate 38 being seated along its peripheral edge on a peripheral shoulder 40 in the cylindrical housing 34 and secured in place by circumferentially spaced screws 42. Thus, when member 32 is flush with the plate 38 in its storage position, in which it also is clear of the door bottom edge 14, said member 32 cooperates with plate 38 to form a completely sealing closure for the top opening 36 of the housing 34. This, in an obvious manner, obviates the possibility of debris or dirt inadvertently getting into the housing 38 and also eliminates edge-engaging means 26 as a walking hazard.

As is perhaps best shown in F IG. 4, appropriately secured to the underside of the member 32 is a detent structure 44 which rotates on a transverse axle 46 whose opposite ends are joumalled in depending hubs 48 and 50. Cooperating with the detent structure 44, and more particularly with the corner 52 thereof, is a spring 54 secured by screw 56 to a depending sleeve 58 and having a comer-engaging shape 60 at its free end. Thus, when member 32 is rotated so that the bifurcated legs 28 and 30 project out of the housing opening 36, corner 52 snaps into the detent spring shaped end 60 and is thus held in position. In this operative projected position of member 32, the legs 30 and 28 occupy advantageous positions bounding opposite sides of the depending band 14 on the door 10, and thus the door is confined against lateral movement relative to the prescribed path across the door opening 18.

Thus, after door 10 is provided with its closed position in the door opening 18, it is contemplated that each member 32 will be rotated from its flush storage position, as depicted in FIG. 2, into its projected position as depicted in FIG. 3. To facilitate this, the base 62 of each member 32 has a sizable lateral dimension or extent which is readily accessible from either side of the closed door and, when depressed, causes rotation of each member 32. When the door 10 is moved into its open position, it is a relatively simple matter to move each member 32 through closing movement 64 back to its flush storage position sealing the interior of housing 34 of each edge-engaging means 26.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure, and in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein.

What is claimed is:

l. A side coiling door comprising a vertically oriented helically coiled door operatively arranged for transverse movements along a prescribed path through door-opening and door-closing positions, an elevated guide rail means disposed in engaged relation with said door upper edge to provide the sole support confining said door to said prescribed path during said transverse movement thereof, said door bottom edge having a connecting structure depending therefrom, and plural, spaced edge-engaging means disposed along said prescribed path under said door bottom edge so as to releasably engage said door bottom edge in said doorclosing position, said edge-engaging means including bifurcating legs operatively arranged for movement from a storage position into an operative projected position bounding opposite sides of said prescribed path so as to be adapted to accommodate said door depending connecting structure in interposed position therebetween, whereby in said door-closing position the door is held along both upper and bottom edges thereof against movement laterally of said prescribed path.

2. A side coiling door as defined in claim 1 wherein said edge-engaging means includes a cylindrical housing having a top opening, and said bifurcated members are mounted in said top opening for movement from said storage position closing said top opening into said operative position projecting out of said top opening.

3. A side coiling door as defined in claim 2 wherein said edge-engaging means includes a detent arrangement for selectively holding said bifurcated member in said storage and projected positions.

* I. I! I. 0 

1. A side coiling door comprising a vertically oriented helically coiled door operatively arranged for transverse movements along a prescribed path through door-opening and doorclosing positions, an elevated guide rail means disposed in engaged relation with said door upper edge to provide the sole support confining said door to said prescribed path during said transverse movement thereof, said door bottom edge having a connecting structure depending therefrom, and plural, spaced edge-engaging means disposed along said prescribed path under said door bottom edge so as to releasably engage said door bottom edge in said door-closing position, said edge-engaging means including bifurcating legs operatively arranged for movement from a storage position into an operative projected position bounding opposite sides of said prescribed path so as to be adapted to accommodate said door depending connecting structure in interposed position therebetween, whereby in said door-closing position the door is held along both upper and bottom edges thereof against movement laterally of said prescribed path.
 2. A side coiling door as defined in claim 1 wherein said edge-engaging means includes a cylindrical housing having a top opening, and said bifurcated members are mounted in said top opening for movement from said storage position closing said top opening into said operative position projecting out of said top opening.
 3. A side coiling door as defined in claim 2 wherein said edge-engaging means includes a detent arrangement for selectively holding said bifurcated member in said storage and projected positions. 